Some pistols hit the primer a lot harder than others. You can test with a pencil in the barrel, pointed up, with an eraser on the firing pin. (Unloaded, of course). A pistol with a strong primer impact will launch the pencil. Some will hit the ceiling. A pistol with a weak primer impact will not push the pencil all the way out of the barrel.
Small rifle primers in pistol?
- Thread starter DRNewcomb
- Start date
Very interesting test. The firing pin energy can be directly inferred from the height the pencil attains. Beretta Nano: barely ejected the pencil. Browning BDM: about 2'. Hi-Power (P35): hit the ceiling. I now know which pistol is the worst case test for the rifle primers.
P.S. Of course, you have to use a pencil that's been calibrated to NIST standards.
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You can use primers in about any case they fit, HOWEVER, you have to tailor your load for the primer, case, powder, bullet, and firearm you are shooting them in. Lots of "Pistols" fire "Rifle" ammunition. About 125 years ago, there were manufacturers that made ammunition to work in both rifles and pistols. The 45LC, 32-20, 38-40, 44-40 etc were chambered in rifles and revolvers so the loads were tailored to work well in either one. These were basically "pistol" loads that were shot in rifles.
Over the last 40-50 years, many "pistols" have been made to shoot what once were considered "rifle only" calibers. I won't go into detail on this, but I would bet about any sporting goods store with a well stocked gun inventory will have rifles and pistols chambered in .223, 22 Hornet, 410 shotgun, etc. Modern ammunition makers also tailor their loads to work well in either rifle or pistol, however, due to our litigious society, many loads have written cautions on the label regarding what firearm they should be fired in, or more importantly, what firearm NOT to fire them in. Most of the makers of ammunition components include reloading data for both rifle and pistols, HOWEVER, they tailor their load specifically for one, or the other.....Once in a while you will see comments in the reloading manual similar to "Also safe to fire in ....." Still, each of the recipes indicate which primer they are using with the powder, and they all caution you to work up. So, to say it again, you can use primers in about any case they will fit in, HOWEVER, you have to tailor your load for the primer, case, powder, and bullet combination your are using for your firearm.
Good luck, and stay safe.
Over the last 40-50 years, many "pistols" have been made to shoot what once were considered "rifle only" calibers. I won't go into detail on this, but I would bet about any sporting goods store with a well stocked gun inventory will have rifles and pistols chambered in .223, 22 Hornet, 410 shotgun, etc. Modern ammunition makers also tailor their loads to work well in either rifle or pistol, however, due to our litigious society, many loads have written cautions on the label regarding what firearm they should be fired in, or more importantly, what firearm NOT to fire them in. Most of the makers of ammunition components include reloading data for both rifle and pistols, HOWEVER, they tailor their load specifically for one, or the other.....Once in a while you will see comments in the reloading manual similar to "Also safe to fire in ....." Still, each of the recipes indicate which primer they are using with the powder, and they all caution you to work up. So, to say it again, you can use primers in about any case they will fit in, HOWEVER, you have to tailor your load for the primer, case, powder, and bullet combination your are using for your firearm.
Good luck, and stay safe.
divingin
Gold $$ Contributor
What I find interesting about your table is that the max primer height can exceed the max pocket depth. Seems to me that a max height primer and a min pocket depth will cause problems, no? Or am I reading something incorrectly?
Just not completely, read the bottom sentence on the image and it addresses the potential issues.
divingin
Gold $$ Contributor
You're right; I didn't read that. Thanks.
I have a S&W XVR460 Revolver, that shoots rifle size groups, from a rest. Published, accurate, loads can burn over 50 grains of powder, and operate near 65,000 PSI.
It Requires Large Rifle Magnum Primers.
It Requires Large Rifle Magnum Primers.
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One thing I don't believe has been mentioned here regarding the use of small rifle primers in pistol cartridges is the damage that it can cause to your pistols breechface.
I have loaded and shot many tens of thousands of rounds of IPSC 38 Super over the years and have used nothing but small rifle primers without issue but in those same years have seen and smithed on many pistols, mostly chambered in 40S&W, which had a great deal of erosion around to the firing pin hole in the breachface of the slide caused by burning gasses leaking around the primer when small rifle primers were used in the majority of the loads.
The thicker, harder cups of small rifle primers don't expand and seal well enough in the primer pocket at the lower pressures that a lot of pistol rounds such as 9mm and 40S&W are reloaded to.
I have loaded and shot many tens of thousands of rounds of IPSC 38 Super over the years and have used nothing but small rifle primers without issue but in those same years have seen and smithed on many pistols, mostly chambered in 40S&W, which had a great deal of erosion around to the firing pin hole in the breachface of the slide caused by burning gasses leaking around the primer when small rifle primers were used in the majority of the loads.
The thicker, harder cups of small rifle primers don't expand and seal well enough in the primer pocket at the lower pressures that a lot of pistol rounds such as 9mm and 40S&W are reloaded to.
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I've used them in a few heavier loadings in 357mag and my 454 casull. All my casull brass is made with small primer pockets specifically made for the Small rifle primer. I will say that after a trigger job the hammer on my Ruger SRH won't reliably pop a CCI Small rifle mag primer, but will easily and reliably light a federal GMM SR primer.
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